The Fantastic Beasts Series

[HunterHunted]

7 hours ago, benteen said:

If you're a muggle, it seems like you give up stuff like electricity to live in the magical word.  I've always found that to be an unappealing aspect.

Having an owl deliver your mail would be fun once. Having to deal with owl poop and owl bites and it loses ALL of its novelty. Getting letters where your mom screams at you in front of your friends is not cool. I would much rather get an email, text, or an angry voicemail.

Plus the magical world seems to have no interest in space exploration and that really bums me out.

[tennisgurl]

I just always think of little, 90s Hermione and Harry going from playing Oregon Trail in class to using a quill and ink. 

[blueray]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I just always think of little, 90s Hermione and Harry going from playing Oregon Trail in class to using a quill and ink. 

That's true. I wonder if a muggle-born student ever tried to use pencil.

I imagine that if a family wanted electricity they could have it, but they'd have to live in a muggle neighborhood, which some do.  I think the hardest thing would be giving up the internet while at school. I feel like today's hogwarts would have students sitting outside it's gates on their phones.

Edited October 11, 2018 by blueray

[Dejana]

3 hours ago, blueray said:

That's true. I wonder if a muggle-born student ever tried to use pencil.

I imagine that if a family wanted electricity they could have it, but they'd have to live in a muggle neighborhood, which some do.  I think the hardest thing would be giving up the internet while at school. I feel like today's hogwarts would have students sitting outside it's gates on their phones.

Hogsmeade is a magical village so I think today's Hogwarts students would be SOL, trying to get online while they're away at school.

Sometimes I wonder if JKR has stuck to the Wizarding World's past with the FB movies and even that play (given its subject matter/structure) because it's a way to sidestep all the magic vs. millennial technology issues

[HunterHunted]

It would probably be like dry counties. Right across the street of the border of like every dry county I've ever seen is a ton of liquor stores and bars.*

Right over the border of Hogsmeade in 2018 is the world's biggest Starbucks and there are tons of outlets and docking stations.

 

*I grew up in a dry town. There was a liquor store just across the border of the town. My oldest brother and his best friend operated an illegal alcohol delivery service in the late 70s as middle schoolers because the liquor store closed at 5pm on Friday and didn't reopen until Monday. Every Friday, they rode their bikes to school; my brother had a wagon hitched to his bike. When they got out of school, they'd ride over to the liquor store. My brother would put all of the items that people ordered over the phone and deliver them to people's homes. His best friend would ride around to the homes and offices and pick up the cash and checks to bring back to the store. The store usually paid them $5 each and the people they delivered to also tipped them. They were making anywhere from $20 -$50 for 2 hours of work as 11 and 12 year olds in the 70s.

Edited October 12, 2018 by HunterHunted

[HunterHunted]

Johnny Depp Fantastic Beasts Interview

And this right here is one of the reasons that I wanted the role recast:

Quote

Depp also helped design Grindelwald’s unique look (a pasty-faced, platinum-haired vision of fascistic extremism), and added his own improvisational touches while filming.

[Lugal]

On 10/9/2018 at 3:09 PM, tennisgurl said:

I dont think that JK is a racist or a terrible person, but I have found that, as she adds more and more to the Potter verse, she really doesn't seem to understand much about the world outside of her experiences as a white English woman, and that comes out most in her world building. Which, in some ways, is understandable, as many authors tend to feel most comfortable writing what they know, but on the other side, with the internet, and being a massively wealthy and successful celebrity who has traveled the world, its hard to justify having a fundamental lack of understanding about the world outside your own culture. Especially as she has increasingly attempted to become more "Woke" and has been retroactively trying to diversify her HP stories, which were, hate to say it, very white and heteronormative. It just is the way it is. She did add more POC later on in supporting roles, and I thought she did well with her female characters and her use of pureblood magic as an allegory for racism and wizards feeling supporter to every other group of beings in the planet were decently explored, but I wish she would explore a wider variety of people and culturs now that the universe is being expanded, and would do some actual research.

I also don't think she's a terrible person, but she comes off as tone-deaf and not really trying because it's not like this is the first time she's been called out for stuff like this.  If you're writing about someone else's culture it's on you to get it right (or at least not to get it wrong).

Quote

I mean, the idea that the UK (and Ireland, its implied) get one school with a pretty decent number of students, while the entirety of whole continents like North America, South America, and Asia all get only one school per continent, is just ridiculous! Just based on population and geography, both the US and China alone would both have to have at least three schools a piece, probably more, let alone the entire continents. And Europe has four schools, while, again, the rest of the world gets one school per continent, which seems to say that Jo really has no idea how freaking BIG other countries are, and how many people live their, and, by sheer numbers, how many witches and wizards must exist in their population. Maybe you could hand-wave that other countries do more local or home schooling, or that Europeans have more magic in general (in which case, that seems very questionable, both genetically in the implications) for whatever reason, or that magic schools are basically board school Tardises that are massive on the inside for their millions of students, but really, it seems like like Jo either not using her imagination on how schools in different countries would operate, or her really, truly not getting how countries that are not her own work. 

I remember a few years ago I was on a writer's board online and a British writer asked the Americans if one could drive from New York to Miami in four hours, and the Americans informed them of how big the country actually is.  It also ignores cultural differences on the various continents.  North America had multiple distinctive cultural regions before Contact and even in the US today there are also different ethno-regional cultures.  Not saying Jo has to know all the differences between New Englanders and Virginians but she should at least know there are some.

[Lugal]

On 10/10/2018 at 10:42 AM, Athena said:

Since the wizarding community seems small and generally very insular, it doesn't surprise me how they wouldn't need to interact with a lot of muggles. Why would they? Their community may be culturally conservative, but they were more advanced in other ways. They've been flying and having medical advances for centuries before muggles.

So the wizarding community is basically the Amish.  Culturally conservative, distrustful of outsiders, keeps to themselves, some advances over everyone else (look up Amish and solar power) and a small handful of pureblood surnames.

21 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Plus the magical world seems to have no interest in space exploration and that really bums me out.

I'm still waiting for a good space adventure story with wizards that isn't Star Wars (I like Star Wars, most of it anyway, but I want some variety)

9 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Johnny Depp Fantastic Beasts Interview

And this right here is one of the reasons that I wanted the role recast:

11 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Depp also helped design Grindelwald’s unique look (a pasty-faced, platinum-haired vision of fascistic extremism), and added his own improvisational touches while filming.

So that's why he didn't quite fit the 1920s look of the movie.

[nikma]

Deep's interview once again proves why he was a great choice for this role. Deep understanding of character and story and a lot of passion.

[benteen]

12 hours ago, Lugal said:

So the wizarding community is basically the Amish.  Culturally conservative, distrustful of outsiders, keeps to themselves, some advances over everyone else (look up Amish and solar power) and a small handful of pureblood surnames.

The Amish though don't keep slaves.  The wizarding world does.

[Spartan Girl]

16 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Johnny Depp Fantastic Beasts Interview

And this right here is one of the reasons that I wanted the role recast:

Quote

Depp also helped design Grindelwald’s unique look (a pasty-faced, platinum-haired vision of fascistic extremism), and added his own improvisational touches while filming.

Why am I not shocked?

Honestly, I keep wondering if I might have been a little more open-minded about him being Grindelwald if I wasn't so repulsed by him personally.  It's sad because before all this shit came out, I really did like Johnny Depp as an actor.  Yeah he played the same oddball character a lot, but when he put in the effort, he was really good.

[HunterHunted]

40 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Why am I not shocked?

Honestly, I keep wondering if I might have been a little more open-minded about him being Grindelwald if I wasn't so repulsed by him personally.  It's sad because before all this shit came out, I really did like Johnny Depp as an actor.  Yeah he played the same oddball character a lot, but when he put in the effort, he was really good.

If he had booked Fantastic Beasts before the Lone Ranger, Dark Shadows, Mordecai, those last two Pirates movies, and Alice Through the Looking Glass, I think a lot of people would have been genuinely interested in seeing him as Grindelwald. But the reality is that he has had a solid 6 years of hackery. 

People don't mind eccentricity. Lots of actors are freaking weirdos--Brando, Crispin Glover, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, John Malkovich, Jeff Goldblum, Drew Barrymore, and Tilda Swinton. People don't love abusers, but they'll happily put up with them if they think they can still make money--Mel Gibson's career is back on an upswing, Sean Penn, R. Kelly, Roman Polanski, Wesley Snipes, Alfred Hitchcock, David O. Russell, and Charlie Sheen. They don't even mind laziness in an actor as long as the performance is reasonably entertaining and the film makes money. That's the problem with Depp now. His lazy performances aren't entertaining and his films are not nearly as profitable as they used to be. Just take a look at what people had to say about DeNiro's lazy period:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/the-shaming-of-robert-de-niro

Or Coppola calling DeNiro, Pacino, and Nicholson lazy

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/coppola-criticises-de-niro-pacino-and-nicholson-as-lazy-397283.html

Or Morgan Freeman's penchant for starring in old guy comedies (Bucket List, Last Vegas, and Going in Style).

The reality is that Depp thought he could just stroll on to a movie set in some dumb/weird costume, do his "thing", and rake in the cash. Lots of other actors thought they could do the same (Hugh Grant). I get that it's easy to think a certain type of role or performance is your fast ball when it's brought you the most success. However, Depp has had a solid 5 years of movies with diminishing returns and outright flops telling him that audiences aren't thrilled with what he thinks is his fast ball and he needs to change it up. And the real problem is that audiences know that he is capable of much better performances.

No one turns to Schwarzenegger or Wahlberg or Statham and asks for more nuance because by and large they aren't capable of it. It reminds me of that apocryphal story about John Wayne on The Greatest Story Ever Told. Wayne was playing the role of the centurion at the cross. He had a single line of dialogue, which was "Truly, this was the Son of God." The director didn't like his line reading and said "Say it with awe." Wayne tries the line again, "Awww, truly this was the son of God!". People know Depp can do more so they expect more.

[starri]

7 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah he played the same oddball character a lot, but when he put in the effort, he was really good.

When was the last time he actually tried, though?

[ChromaKelly]

4 hours ago, starri said:

When was the last time he actually tried, though?

I would say the first Pirates movie. I actually enjoyed that one and his performance. After that, not so much. I think that's around the time it went downhill. Edit - I went and looked at IMDB, I didn't realize the first one was so long ago. I'll amend that to the third one. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was when I really started to get bothered by his acting. Ugh, I'm still so annoyed about this casting! I need to get over it. Except I'd been waiting to see who would be Grindewald ever since I heard he would be in the Fantastic Beasts series. 
If they had a time machine and got say, late 90's Depp, I'd be fine, although I still think they should stick to the no Americans (unless they are playing Americans) rule.

Edited October 13, 2018 by ChromaKelly

[Spartan Girl]

He was pretty good in Sweeney Todd too. IMO that was the last time he really tried.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

He was pretty good in Sweeney Todd too. IMO that was the last time he really tried.

He was fair.  I wouldn't have cast him as Sweeney, but he did give it his best shot.

[Lugal]

On 10/12/2018 at 6:33 AM, benteen said:

The Amish though don't keep slaves.  The wizarding world does.

No, but I've seen how they treat their animals.

[Anela]

On 10/10/2018 at 3:17 PM, benteen said:

If you're a muggle, it seems like you give up stuff like electricity to live in the magical word.  I've always found that to be an unappealing aspect.

And if you're in trouble, you're tasked with clearing the garden of gnomes.. although it might be satisfying, throwing them if you're pissed off. I could also do with the surge of creativity, if I was bitten by one.

On 10/14/2018 at 4:18 PM, Lugal said:

No, but I've seen how they treat their animals.

So have I. Some of them are lovely to their animals, but they're a big part of the puppy mill industry (some of them). I've been with a family member who delivers parcels in Amish country, when he's been to a couple of them. He also gets annoyed when he sees them making their horses work in the baking sun, or when the roads are dangerous - or stuck in a pen outside, etc. But the rest of the population can be just as bad with the backyard breeding, and leaving dogs tied up outside. 

[HunterHunted]

Jo gives an interview about Fantastic Beasts

Quote

It’s far too early to spoil anything. What I can say is that we’ll go to at least one new city in the next film, possibly two, and I’m keen to move outside Europe and North America. But you’ll just have to wait and see.

This is a big yikes to me. You in danger girl. Please do some research and talk to people from those cultures.

Edited October 17, 2018 by HunterHunted

[chitowngirl]

I’m surprised this hasn’t been shown or showing on a basic cable channel with the new one coming out.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I’m surprised this hasn’t been shown or showing on a basic cable channel with the new one coming out.

I'm sure it'll be soon.  Usually it's two years minimum between the film release and the cable release.

My friend and I were just saying the other day that it's a shame that they didn't cast Christoph Waltz as Grindelwald.  He does charismatic evil quite well.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

My friend and I were just saying the other day that it's a shame that they didn't cast Christoph Waltz as Grindelwald.  He does charismatic evil quite well.

That would have been some awesome and inspired casting.  I would have loved that!

[EyewatchTV211]

On 10/14/2018 at 4:18 PM, Lugal said:

No, but I've seen how they treat their animals.

I volunteer with a dog rescue. We get a lot of dogs from the Amish puppy mills. Many are in bad shape because, in addition to the minimal care and poor treatment they get in general, the dogs don't receive vet care when needed. 

I'm another one who isn't a fan of Depp being in the movie. Will probably wait until it airs on TV or somewhere before seeing it. 

[Sarah 103]

On 9/26/2018 at 3:31 AM, Zuleikha said:

I didn't watch the first one based on other people's report of how the movie didn't handle the Jewish characters Jewishness. I'm still monitoring the series in hopes this changes as it goes forward)

My personal/fan theory is that they are assimilated German Jews, as opposed to the more traditional/observant Russian or Polish Jews. If Tina and Queenie are assimilated German Jews they would probably not keep kosher, would not attend a synagogue on a regular basis, and would not celebrate most of the Jewish holidays. You had German Jews celebrating Christmas with presents and a tree in the U.S in the 1800s into the 1900s.  

On 10/9/2018 at 9:12 PM, Dejana said:

I wish she'd just done a Marauders prequel

Me too. This is not my original idea (I've read this idea in multiple places) but I'm sharing it here. A TV series covering the Marauders 7 years at Hogwarts. Each season/series covers one year at Hogwarts. It ends with a made for TV movie or a miniseries that covers 1977-1981. 

[blueray]

Quote

Me too. This is not my original idea (I've read this idea in multiple places) but I'm sharing it here. A TV series covering the Marauders 7 years at Hogwarts. Each season/series covers one year at Hogwarts. It ends with a made for TV movie or a miniseries that covers 1977-1981.

I would totally watch that. I feel like there is enough there to write a show about, even if the viewers already know the faith of the characters.

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, blueray said:

I would totally watch that. I feel like there is enough there to write a show about, even if the viewers already know the faith of the characters.

I would probably not root for the Marauders, they were assholes.

[stealinghome]

50 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I would probably not root for the Marauders, they were assholes.

I think you'd have to start off with the Marauders only being very slight assholes, and really only ramp up to them being total assholes basically right before Sirius' Whomping Willow "prank." That makes it easier to write a redemption narrative for them, if they are characterized as basically just getting too full of themselves/carried away as the campus Big Shots. Though didn't Sirius imply Snape gave as good as he got?--so I also think it wouldn't be hard to make Snape enough of an enemy/threat that you wouldn't feel TOO bad about the Marauders giving him a hard time most of the time. I think the real challenge for a Marauders TV series would be getting solid child actors to be able to work the kind of hours you'd need for a child-focused TV show, even if each season was capped at (say) 13 episodes or so.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a series that starts the year of the Whomping Willow "prank," when the Marauders were supposed to be 15 or so, and basically goes all the way up to James and Lily's deaths. I've always wanted to see more of the first war against Voldemort, and if you started with the Marauders at 15, you could reasonably cast actors who are all 18+ to get around the hours restrictions.

[Perfect Xero]

1 hour ago, stealinghome said:

I think you'd have to start off with the Marauders only being very slight assholes, and really only ramp up to them being total assholes basically right before Sirius' Whomping Willow "prank." That makes it easier to write a redemption narrative for them, if they are characterized as basically just getting too full of themselves/carried away as the campus Big Shots. Though didn't Sirius imply Snape gave as good as he got?--so I also think it wouldn't be hard to make Snape enough of an enemy/threat that you wouldn't feel TOO bad about the Marauders giving him a hard time most of the time.

The problem with trying to use the Shrieking Shack Incident, where Sirius looks really bad but everyone else comes looking okay, to kick off a redemption story is that it happens before the events of Snape's Worst Memory, where all of the Marauders come off looking pretty awful.

Personally I don't have any interest in a Marauders era story, I mean, unless they make a story that's just about a bunch of Hufflepuffs from that era hanging out in their rooms at night talking about what a bunch of assholes the Marauders and the future Death Eaters are and thanking Merlin that they got sorted into the laid back house. That I would watch.

[cambridgeguy]

A review of the movie

It sounds like the writer wasn't paying attention at the end of the first movie (it was pretty clear Kowalski's memory wasn't completely wiped) but other than that it looks like they might be falling into the Hobbit trap.  They're going to draaaag this out until Dumbledore steps up and beats Grindelwald in the fifth movie.  So that means a lot of wheel spinning, Jude Law looking conflicted, and lack of forward movement.

[ursula]

8 hours ago, stealinghome said:

I think you'd have to start off with the Marauders only being very slight assholes, and really only ramp up to them being total assholes basically right before Sirius' Whomping Willow "prank." That makes it easier to write a redemption narrative for them, if they are characterized as basically just getting too full of themselves/carried away as the campus Big Shots. Though didn't Sirius imply Snape gave as good as he got?--so I also think it wouldn't be hard to make Snape enough of an enemy/threat that you wouldn't feel TOO bad about the Marauders giving him a hard time most of the time.

The fact that you're PR-rationalizing  how to tell a story about the Marauders without making them look like assholes .... probably means that they are assholes. 

[Silver Raven]

11 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

Personally I don't have any interest in a Marauders era story, I mean, unless they make a story that's just about a bunch of Hufflepuffs from that era hanging out in their rooms at night talking about what a bunch of assholes the Marauders and the future Death Eaters are and thanking Merlin that they got sorted into the laid back house. That I would watch.

A really excellent fan film about Snape and the Marauders that I really enjoyed.

[Cherpumple]

11 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

A really excellent fan film about Snape and the Marauders that I really enjoyed.

Awww, that hug! It hit me right in the feels. That film was actually pretty well done, but it solidified my opinion that I have no interest in seeing a Marauders series because, as many of you have said, they were assholes. I can root for them as adults (mostly - I still found Sirius to be an ass sometimes in the books), but I wouldn't want to sit through hours and hours of watching them be arrogant bullies. Stuff like that is best left to my imagination. Also, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of Voldemort's first rise to power, and don't really have any lingering burning questions about how it all happened.

I'm planning to do a full HP movie marathon before seeing the new FB, and I'm pretty pumped for it. I'm trying really hard to stay unspoiled by reviews, and go in with an open mind. To be honest, I'm just really enjoying the feeling of getting a new story in this world, despite some of its flaws. It's not quite as good as going to the bookstore at midnight to get the newest book, but I'll take what I can get.

This isn't new information, but I was listening to Quidditch Through the Ages last week, and in the section about the most recent Quidditch World Cup (2014?) I noticed that one of the players on the US team was named Quentin Kowalski. Coincidence? I think not!

[KatWay]

eh, I never thought the Marauders were that bad. Kind of like the popular jocks, but not bad people at heart. We shouldn't forget that we see them from Snape's perspective, and yes, they're awful to him but as Lily says when he tries to apologise he's already sympathising with Voldemort and hanging out with "that" crowd at that point. Doesn't excuse the Marauders bullying of him but it makes sense why they dislike him.

I actually think it would be very interesting to see a show/film about them. All those kids at Hogwarts bickering and competing in Quidditch matches, and only a few years later, some of them end up fighting each other in battles to the death? It's pretty fascinating. The point where Sirius completely breaks with his family, which isn't just personal due to the circumstances but also about choosing his "side" in the war (does he realise that, at 16? How does he feel about going on to fight his little brother?), when and where Peter grows resentful enough of his friends to lead them to their death, Remus' struggles with keeping his secret, all of that would be really interesting.

[ursula]

7 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

Quentin Kowalski.

You mean like Quentin Coldwater from the Magicians?

(Which is basically Harry Potter/Narnia cross-over fanfiction).

[ursula]

6 hours ago, KatWay said:

We shouldn't forget that we see them from Snape's perspective, and yes, they're awful to him but as Lily says when he tries to apologise he's already sympathising with Voldemort and hanging out with "that" crowd at that point. Doesn't excuse the Marauders bullying of him but it makes sense why they dislike him.

Well James disliked Snape on clear sight from the train station, basically because Snape dressed funny and was hanging out with Lily. 

And Weeping Willow  incident was just as grievous an attack on Lupin as it was on Snape. I mean forget the fact that he was ready to have Snape killed or turned into a werewolf as a "prank". Or that he was going to let his best friend become a murderer or something just as bad as a "prank". Sirius outed Remus. As a prank. As the saying goes: with friends like that, Remus didn't need enemies.

Quote

We shouldn't forget that we see them from Snape's perspective

If anything, I'd say that we see the books so much from the "Gryffindor" perspective....

[KatWay]

6 minutes ago, ursula said:

Well James disliked Snape on clear sight from the train station, basically because Snape dressed funny and was hanging out with Lily. 

And Weeping Willow  incident was just as grievous an attack on Lupin as it was on Snape. I mean forget the fact that he was ready to have Snape killed or turned into a werewolf as a "prank". Or that he was going to let his best friend become a murderer or something just as bad as a "prank". Sirius outed Remus. As a prank. As the saying goes: with friends like that, Remus didn't need enemies.

If anything, I'd say that we see the books so much from the "Gryffindor" perspective....

we see that one scene, the only scene we really see of the Marauders, from Snape's perspective as Snape's worst memory. I wouldn't say that's how we should assume they always acted, several characters speak very fondly of them.

And wasn't it implied that Snape was trying to figure out Remus'/the Marauders' secret already? I mean, obviously outing him like that was a dick move but we also never really hear how the whole thing went down. I don't want to defend them too much, but I feel like people really run with those two incidents (the second of which is really only Sirius' fault) and portray them as some evil high school bullies, when there's no indication they were actually that terrible. From what we know they grew into adults who tried everything in their power to protect innocent people from death eaters, that's not really the markings of a bunch of sociopaths (aside from Peter, obviously).

[blueray]

My take has always been that James and Sirius were the popular kids. They sometimes bullied Snape, however mostly people just wanted to be like them.  Jame's was athletic and a good student.  It's hard to really know what those two were like as we only see it from Snape's pov. I think Peter especially was one of the kids that wanted to be like them. I can't remember if it was in the books, but I remember a scene in the movie where they are saying how he just followed them around like a stray puppy. Of course he turns out to be the only one that is evil.  I never got the impression that Lupin was a bully at all. He probably was by far the most nicest of the group and probably was liked by most of his classmates, even if he didn't see it.

[ursula]

1 hour ago, KatWay said:

we see that one scene, the only scene we really see of the Marauders, from Snape's perspective as Snape's worst memory

I was actually referring to the memory of Snape & Lily meeting the Marauders on the train... 

However, Snape's worst memory was a pensieve memory that Harry found, not a narration subject to the Rashomon effect. 

1 hour ago, KatWay said:

And wasn't it implied that Snape was trying to figure out Remus'/the Marauders' secret already? I mean, obviously outing him like that was a dick move but we also never really hear how the whole thing went down.

We hear how the whole thing goes down. It's not a Pensieve memory, it's actually told to Harry etc from the Gryffindor perspective (Lupin and Dumbledore) ---- and Sirius still ends up looking demented.

1 hour ago, KatWay said:

several characters speak very fondly of them.

So well that when the story broke out that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters and murdered 13 people, nobody - not even his BFF Lupin - doubted it was true?

1 hour ago, blueray said:

My take has always been that James and Sirius were the popular kids. They sometimes bullied Snape, however mostly people just wanted to be like them. 

I think that's it. They were the "cool" kids. Think the Hogwarts version of Regina George and the Plastics. You wanted to be them, or at least have them like you --- and definitely not be one of the people that got on the wrong side of their sharp wits, and "edgy" pranks. 

 

1 hour ago, blueray said:

I never got the impression that Lupin was a bully at all. He probably was by far the most nicest of the group and probably was liked by most of his classmates, even if he didn't see it.

I agree. He was guilty by association - he knew when his friends were pushing the line --- but he hung back, not wanting to be cruel, but not being brave enough to stand up to his friends either. (Doffs cap to 11-year-old Neville). When you have a secret that could get you - at best - kicked out of school, you're greedy and grateful for any kind of friendship. When your best friends are the kind of people who'll use your affliction to score points with their enemies, you're not just grateful for their friendship --- you have real cause to fear what would happen to you if you lose that friendship.

It's worth pointing out that for 13 years, Lupin believed without question that Sirius was a traitor and murderer. Makes you wonder if Lupin really did brush off those harmless "pranks" of Sirius. 

[KatWay]

23 minutes ago, ursula said:

He was guilty by association - he knew when his friends were pushing the line --- but he hung back, not wanting to be cruel, but not being brave enough to stand up to his friends either. (Doffs cap to 11-year-old Neville). When you have a secret that could get you - at best - kicked out of school, you're greedy and grateful for any kind of friendship. When your best friends are the kind of people who'll use your affliction to score points with their enemies, you're not just grateful for their friendship --- you have real cause to fear what would happen to you if you lose that friendship.

It's worth pointing out that for 13 years, Lupin believed without question that Sirius was a traitor and murderer. Makes you wonder if Lupin really did brush off those harmless "pranks" of Sirius. 

There's zero evidence that Lupin only hung out with them because he was scared of what would happen if he ditched them...they became animagi when they found out about his affliction, they clearly cared about him. The story of the Marauders at Hogwarts wasn't fleshed out enough to really draw any strong conclusions as to how they always acted. We only saw how they acted towards Snape and that they were popular (James and Sirius at least). We also don't know how the rise of Voldemort was affecting Slytherin vs other houses etc. That's why I think a film/show about this would be very interesting.

Sirius also thought Remus was the traitor, during the war. They were all suspicious of each other, due to Peter muddling the waters. Then he, of course, realises it was Pettigrew and...keeps that info to himself, basically forever...Honestly the whole Sirius at Azkaban thing has several plotholes the reader probably shouldn't think about too much lol.

[ursula]

5 hours ago, KatWay said:

There's zero evidence that Lupin only hung out with them because he was scared of what would happen if he ditched them.

I didn't say this was the only reason:

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When you have a secret that could get you - at best - kicked out of school, you're greedy and grateful for any kind of friendship. When your best friends are the kind of people who'll use your affliction to score points with their enemies, you're not just grateful for their friendship --- you have real cause to fear what would happen to you if you lose that friendship.

None of these have to be even "conscious" reasons because people are complicated. I'm not claiming that Lupin didn't genuinely love his friends. But the fact that he didn't have (or think he had) a lot of options with friends. AND the fact that his friends were the kind of people who did things like --- I dunno --- out him to score points in what basically amounted to a pissing contest...? Even if the thought of ending their friendship had occurred to Lupin, he would have mentally shut it down hard. It won't have been worth it. it's not like he believed he'd have made other friends. And if Sirius had become spiteful, it would have cost Lupin dearly.

And we do know that Lupin disapproved of their extreme pranks. The fact that he didn't try to assert himself more is evident of how he regarded his position in their group.

 

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they became animagi when they found out about his affliction

Being animagi was as much about Lupin as about the boys egging themselves on in their mad-scape "adventures". Lupin gave them a reason (and the idea) to be animagi. But it's not like if they (James/Sirius) became animagi unwillingly or didn't find the idea of challenging themselves to doing it a ripping great idea.  

 

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Sirius also thought Remus was the traitor, during the war. They were all suspicious of each other, due to Peter muddling the waters. 

(Sirius and James suspected Remus because he was a werewolf. Which again shows you where he ranked in their little club. Lupin's inferiority complex wasn't entirely unfounded after all.)

5 hours ago, KatWay said:

Honestly the whole Sirius at Azkaban thing has several plotholes the reader probably shouldn't think about too much lol.

If anything, it's the one aspect of the story that makes perfect sense because it's the only time we see characters being judged (and condemned) based on their actions, not their House affiliation. Sirius was found guilty because of his track record of amoral juvenile delinquency.  

[Sarah 103]

On 11/9/2018 at 12:58 AM, stealinghome said:

I think the real challenge for a Marauders TV series would be getting solid child actors to be able to work the kind of hours you'd need for a child-focused TV show, even if each season was capped at (say) 13 episodes or so.

That's not the hard part by any stretch of the imagination. There have been kid focused TV shows since the birth of television when rules for child actors were already in place. Disney, Nick, and other channels/networks have proven that it possible to follow child labor laws and create series with child actors in the lead roles. 

[Zuleikha]

I think that's it. They were the "cool" kids. Think the Hogwarts version of Regina George and the Plastics. You wanted to be them, or at least have them like you --- and definitely not be one of the people that got on the wrong side of their sharp wits, and "edgy" pranks.

Agreed. They obviously weren't bad to the core because they all developed into fairly caring, brave adults (except Peter). But we're told enough about their Hogwarts time that IMHO, they would be the villains rather than the heroes of any show about the Marauders. 

I do think there's potential for a decent show centered on Lily that could also include how the Marauders mature. But it would have to tread very carefully not to reinforce really problematic myths about bullies and victims or do some horrible Beauty and the Beast like plot where Lily's goodness redeems James.

[stealinghome]

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If anything, it's the one aspect of the story that makes perfect sense because it's the only time we see characters being judged (and condemned) based on their actions, not their House affiliation. Sirius was found guilty because of his track record of amoral juvenile delinquency.  

Sirius being found guilty and thrown in Azkaban would make much more sense in a non-magical world where you can't give someone a truth serum, pull a memory out of their head and watch it in a Pensieve, etc, though. But in a world with so many magical ways of ascertaining the truth (and/or seeing where a memory was meddled with, a la Slughorn), I have to agree it's dodgy worldbuilding that this huge important secret never comes out. Maybe if the idea was supposed to be that mob justice ruled the day and the moment Sirius was apprehended they threw him in Azkaban and threw away the key it would be more believable, but we know Sirius had a trial, Dumbledore mentions he gave evidence at it.

It also doesn't make sense that either Sirius kept the truth to himself for 13 years (what is his motivation for doing that? Wouldn't he worry that Harry might be in danger from Pettigrew? Wouldn't he want Pettigrew to be found and punished?) or that if he said Pettigrew was alive at some point during the trial, Dumbledore wouldn't have followed up on it (and really, wouldn't Sirius at least have told Dumbledore? Again, why the hell wouldn't he? He has to know Dumbledore is a suspicious and thorough enough bastard that he'd really look into it).

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All those kids at Hogwarts bickering and competing in Quidditch matches, and only a few years later, some of them end up fighting each other in battles to the death? It's pretty fascinating. The point where Sirius completely breaks with his family, which isn't just personal due to the circumstances but also about choosing his "side" in the war (does he realise that, at 16? How does he feel about going on to fight his little brother?), when and where Peter grows resentful enough of his friends to lead them to their death, Remus' struggles with keeping his secret, all of that would be really interesting.

YES. So much word to all this. It would be like getting life at Hogwarts from the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff perspective from Order of the Phoenix on, but even more intense.

[Cherpumple]

14 hours ago, ursula said:

22 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

Quentin Kowalski.

You mean like Quentin Coldwater from the Magicians?

(Which is basically Harry Potter/Narnia cross-over fanfiction).

No, I mean I think Quentin Kowalski is a descendant of Jacob Kowalski and Queenie Goldstein from Fantastic Beasts.

[nikma]

The movie doesn't have great reaction from critics so far. 

[Sarah 103]

What I liked: The baby nifflers are adorable. Newt's brother Theseus is cute. Casting did a fantastic job finding an actor to play the young Newt. Hair helps, but he nailed the physicality of Eddie Redmayne's Newt. 

I saw the movie 11/13 in a special advance screening. The room was filled with serious fans. After the movie, everyone was super confused about what we had just seen. If anyone has seen the movie and can clear up my confusion, that would be greatly apperciated. 

Spoiler

How is Credence related to Albus Dumbledore or the Dumbledore family in general? Based on the fact that when Credence needed a friend, he was taking care of a Pheonix, so I am inclined to beleive that Grindelwald was telling the truth and that Credence's real name is Aurelius Dumbledore.

How did Grindelwald know who Credence really was? 

How is Leta Lestrange related to Bellatrix Lestrange? 

Predictions/What I Hope to See in the 3rd Movie:

The baby nifflers are grown up and go on the adventure. Either Newt has a pack of nifflers that he has to keep under control, or the team breaks up and each group of heroes is accompanied by a niffler. 

Newt and Theseus working together. I think they have an interesting dynamic and I would love to see more of them. 

Not sure if this will be the 3rd or 4th movie, but I can't wait to see how and if the Great Depression impacts the Wizarding World. For example, on the American side, Prohibtion existed for non-magical people, but MACUSA did not pass their version of it, so witches and wizards could transport, buy, and sell alcohol legally. What happens in the Muggle world does not always happen in the Wizarding World. 

[nikma]

Depp was the best part of this movie. 

[chitowngirl]

3 hours ago, nikma said:

Depp was the best part of this movie. 

Is that good or bad?

[nikma]

I liked the movie, but I get why some people didn't. It felt like a middle episodes in a great TV show. It would be like taking E3,4 and 5 of Game of Thrones season 1 and making a movie. Those episodes work great in actual season, but as a movie it can feel too episodic. But I still like it, and I think it is better than the first one. 

[Spartan Girl]

I'm kind of surprised that Depp is getting so much good reviews for his performance.  Could it be that he actually makes an effort this time?